Caldecott

The Caldecott Award

 

 

Every year, the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, honors one book as the most distinguished picture book for children. This award, named for illustrator Randolph Caldecott, has been given to books since 1938. We have shared a few recent Caldecott award-winners and honorees on this page, but the complete list can be found here. These books are sure to delight readers of all ages with their beautiful, interesting, and thought-provoking illustrations and stories.

Flotsam

Flotsam
Written and illustrated by David Wiesner
A picture is worth a thousand words in David Wiesner's book Flotsam. Like in many of his other acclaimed stories, the "reader" or rather viewer is led through an adventure with amazingly imaginative and vivid images rather than with words. In this particular story we first see an inquisitive boy on the beach who finds an old camera. He tries to find an owner nearby but nobody claims it. He decides to get the film he found inside the camera developed. The pictures end up creating more questions than answers about where the mysterious camera came from. I highly recommend Flotsam to anybody with a vivid and wild imagination- you'll love it!
Easy Fiction
Suggested grade level: K-3
Reviewed by Lorisa Harvey

The Hello, Goodbye Window

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Written by Norton Juster

Illustrated by Chris Raschke

The kitchen window at Nanny and Poppy's house is no ordinary window. It is where a young girl and her grandparents watch stars, play games and even spy on the tiger in the backyard.  The childlike pictures accompany the child like voice with lively and energetic colors.  The Hello, Goodbye Window is a fun read with tots on your lap that will evoke past memories at Grandma and Grandpa's house for the reader.

Interest level K-3

Reviewed by Lesley Hermann

The Lion and the Mouse

   The Lion and the Mouse

   Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinckney

   2010 Caldecott Winner

   The classic Aesop's fable of unlikely friendship is retold by Jerry Pinckney through beautiful illustrations without words. How could a mouse possibly help a lion? And what might the lion do to return the favor? Children and adults alike will marvel at Pinckney's masterful watercolors, especially in the expressions on the lion's face. Pinckney includes an insightful and moving author's note at the end of the book, urging readers to consider friendship and our relationship with the natural world.

 Reading Level: Ages 3-6    Interest Level: Pre-K-5

                                                     Reviewed by Robin Hosemann